Island Transit (Texas)

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An Island Transit vehicle Islandtransportvehiclegalveston.jpg
An Island Transit vehicle

Island Transit is a public transit company operating in Galveston, Texas. The company runs bus routes, and a streetcar system, called Galveston Island Trolley.

Contents

The system was started in 1893, with its streetcar system. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Transit Authority have agreed to fund the repair of the rail cars, that were damaged in Hurricane Ike. [1]

Bus routes

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The notion of a General Motors streetcar conspiracy emerged after General Motors (GM) and other companies were convicted of monopolizing the sale of buses and supplies to National City Lines (NCL) and its subsidiaries. In the same case, the defendants were accused of conspiring to own or control transit systems, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust act. The suit created lingering suspicions that the defendants had in fact plotted to dismantle streetcar systems in many cities in the United States as an attempt to monopolize surface transportation.

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The Twin City Rapid Transit Company (TCRT), also known as Twin City Lines (TCL), was a transportation company that operated streetcars and buses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Other types of transportation were tested including taxicabs and steamboats, along with the operation of some destination sites such as amusement parks. It existed under the TCRT name from a merger in the 1890s until it was purchased in 1962. At its height in the early 20th century, the company operated an intercity streetcar system that was believed to be one of the best in the United States. It is a predecessor of the current Metro Transit bus and light rail system that operates in the metro area.

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The TECO Line Streetcar is a heritage streetcar transit line in Tampa, Florida, run by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority (HART), owned by the city of Tampa, and managed by Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc. It connects Downtown and Channelside to the historic Ybor City district. There is also an "In-Town" trolley-replica bus system that connects Downtown, Channelside, and Harbour Island.

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The Galveston Island Trolley is a heritage streetcar in Galveston, Texas, United States. As of late 2006, the total network length was 6.8 miles (10.9 km) with 22 stations. The Galveston Island Trolley is operated by Island Transit. The rail system has not been operational in over a decade, when the city was hit by Hurricane Ike and its total fleet of five rail cars and its 6.8 miles of track were severely damaged. Subsequently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Transit Administration have agreed to fund repairs. In January 2017, a contract was approved to restore three of the trolleys at a cost of $3.8M. At that time, the trolleys were expected to be ready to return to service in 2018, but the date was later postponed to 2019 and now 2021. As of November 2020 two reconditioned trolleys have returned to Galveston, but the system still isn't yet operational.

Effects of Tropical Storm Allison in Texas

The effects of Tropical Storm Allison in Texas included 23 deaths caused by extreme flooding. The first storm of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Allison lasted unusually long for a June storm, remaining tropical or subtropical for 15 days. The storm developed from a tropical wave in the northern Gulf of Mexico on June 4, and struck the Texas coast shortly thereafter. It drifted northward through the state, turned back to the south, and re-entered the Gulf of Mexico. The storm continued to the east-northeast, made landfall on Louisiana, then moved across the southeast United States and Mid-Atlantic. Allison was the first storm since Tropical Storm Frances in 1998 to strike the northern Texas coastline.

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References

  1. Rhiannon Meyers. "FEMA to pay $200 million for infrastructure". Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2010-01-08.